Biospecimen Donation

Since the inception of aerospace travel, NASA has been collecting biospecimens from professional astronauts for research. With the recent growth of civilian aerospace travelers, there is a need for biospecimen banking for civilian astronauts. This protocol addresses this gap by being a biobank for civilian astronauts, their family members (to be controls) and others who are also doing travel to extreme environments (pilots, submariners).

Millions of persons are affected by brain diseases. The CereBank will be used to support research studies aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases. Brain diseases can be inherited; developed due to diseases or aging; or can be due to trauma. The Central Florida does not have a brain biobank to meet the needs of research. Therefore, it is necessary for the University of Central Florida to establish a brain biobank.